News

Portland State University’s School of Architecture is buzzing with pride this week. The school announced today that its Master of Architecture program, established in 2009, has received initial professional accreditation from the National Architectural Accrediting Board.

For any architecture student seeking to become a licensed architect, earning a degree from an accredited professional program is one of three requirements for licensure, along with internship hours and a licensing exam.

Due to the strength of its program, which takes a creative, human-centered approach to the profession, the School of Architecture has succeeded in attracting promising graduate students throughout the Master of Architecture’s candidacy period. The School will see its third class of master’s degree students graduate this June. The new accreditation status is expected to make the school an even more desirable option for aspiring architects seeking to make a difference in the world through architecture.

The route toward accreditation began in 2008 when the program was first granted candidacy status by NAAB. The process required extensive archiving of student work, careful course planning, multiple detailed reports and periodic exhibits of student work for evaluation by visiting NAAB representatives.

It’s all been worth the effort, said Clive Knights, Director of the School of Architecture. "We've had many accomplishments to celebrate as the architecture program has formed and prospered over time, but in my 18 years of effort at PSU, this one brings the most sheer satisfaction and joy. It proves that a program can push the boundaries of creativity and challenge the definition of how we make architecture today, opening up questions and possibilities, rather than being limited by convention, and can do this all with the endorsement of the national professional accrediting body. Architecture in Portland just got a phenomenal boost. I think this will be transformative."